Chapter 164 – Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)

Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)

Galen was confused, but he didn’t ask for clarification. Instead, he just waited for her to clarify on her own.

“When we talked last night about the potential for our true mates to appear in our lives… there was something I didn’t tell you,” she began.

“Ok,” Galen said. “You can tell me anything.”

“I know,” Bell smiled, running her thumb gently over the back of his hand.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath.

“The good news,” she smiled up at him. “Is that neither of us has to worry about a shiny new mate appearing to make us question our feelings about each other with the haunting allure of the magical bond.”

Her words were carefree, silly. She was making light of it. But the way she was struggling to say them while looking at him, the way she forced her smile. Galen looked at Bell carefully.

He reached his hand up to her cheek, and she looked away from him. Galen moved to his knees in front of her. He gently directed her chin back to look at him.

“Hey…” he said.

“Hey…” she answered.

“Tell me what you want to tell me,” Galen said quietly. “I’m listening.”

The tears had already begun to well in her eyes. Galen swallowed down his desire to simply hold her and comfort her. She had something she struggled to share with him, but she wanted to do it. He had to let her.

“The bad news,” she began, her voice weakening. “Is that my mate isn’t dead… and he isn’t shiny.”

Bell took another shaky breath.

“You lost your mate before you knew what it meant, but I know what it means…” she said with such sadness that he felt a deep pain in his heart. “The rules of Winter you mentioned before wouldn’t actually apply to me, not anymore. I have met my mate, and though I wasn’t yet eighteen….”

Bell felt her shoulders crumple in as the tears fell from her eyes.

Galen struggled to keep himself controlled. Every part of him ached to comfort her or scream and howl.

“…he made sure I was already mated, in every sense.”

Bell crumpled then, and Galen caught her.

She fell into his arms, and he wrapped her tightly in his embrace. She cried, letting the pain and the ache flow out of her as memories swirled. Every kind moment and every dark moment played in vivid detail across the viewscreen of her mind.

Galen said nothing, no words of kindness, vengeance, apology, or shared anger. He kept his mouth shut. Instead, he held her and poured every tiny piece of his heart into that embrace, holding her close and trying to make her feel safe without using his words.

He didn’t trust his mouth, he didn’t trust his throat, Galen didn’t trust his instincts not to take control and shout and scream to the Goddess with the rage he felt in his heart.

How could this have happened to her?

They stayed like that for a long time.

Bell cried and cried until she was too exhausted to cry anymore, and Galen continued to hold her long after his arms had grown tired and shaky.

When she was finally ready, she pulled away from him, and he let her.

They sat beside each other with their backs against the log.

After a few quiet moments, Bell attempted to break the silence.

“I…” she wanted to apologize. She felt suddenly that she had burdened him and regretted it. But she didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you,” Galen said.

“What?”

“Thank you,” he repeated. “For telling me. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

Bell nodded.

“It wasn’t,” she answered and then looked at him. “But I wanted you to know.”

Galen took her hand and laced their fingers together.

Bell chewed her lip nervously.

“Did… is there… did you want to ask me anything?” she finally managed to say.

Galen shook his head.

“Not now,” he said quietly.

He turned to her. His eyes filled with love, affection, and heartache filled her with guilt.

“I just need a little time,” he smiled. “I don’t want to react in a way that hurts us.”

Bell nodded.

“I’m guessing you won’t be willing to tell me who he is,” Galen stated.

Bell shook her head.

“No,” she said. “Only three people know who he is. He and I are two of them. And I don’t plan for that number to change.”

Galen nodded.

“That’s a good plan,” he sighed. “As long as I never meet him.”

By mid-afternoon, all but one of the visiting alphas had left to return home from their time in Winter. Wyatt and Axel went to the Southern Territories to continue the ceremonies. Corrine stepped into her role as leader in their absence.

Alexander and Selene spent the morning together, but she quickly had to leave to return to her duties with Saul. Alexander wanted to pout but immediately gave in once she reminded him that she was so busy because she was preparing to join him in Summer in just a few more days.

When Galen returned from his time with Bell, Alexander expected him to be elated and filled with energy from his time alone with her.

“Welcome back,” Alexander smiled as they approached, hand in hand.

“Hey,” Galen replied.

“Alexander,” Bell greeted him with a smile.

“I need a shower. I will double check that all our bags are properly prepared and placed in the truck after,” Galen said before turning to Bell. “I gotta go.”

“No worries,” she said.

Galen slipped his hand gently behind her neck. He pulled her close, hugged her, kissed the top of her head, and then tenderly kissed her lips. Finally, he whispered something that Alexander couldn’t hear. Bell nodded with a smile, and Galen backed away.

“I won’t be long,” Galen told Alexander as he passed by him.

Alexander watched him walk away with concern.

“He’ll be okay,” Bell said quietly.

Alexander turned back to face her.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I told him something about my past. It upset him,” Bell smiled.

Alexander was surprised. He hadn’t expected she would tell Galen about the transfusions so soon..

“I imagine it was hard for him to hear. He cares a great deal about you,” Alexander said. “But you’re right. He will be fine.”

Bell laughed.

“I actually forgot that you knew a secret about me…” she sighed and moved closer to him. “It wasn’t that… though that’s a fun one to look forward to, I guess.”

“I don’t understand.”

Bell sat down on the ground before him. She took a breath, telling Galen had been an anxiety inducing event. She had pumped herself up for days before he arrived to get the nerve to talk to him about it. Not because she didn’t know she could trust him, not because she was afraid that he would see her as less because of what she went through.

But because she knew it would hurt him to know what she had been through.

Telling him had hurt. But it was also a massive burden off her shoulders.

Telling Alexander? That was insurance.

Selene had her plans, and Bell would let her pursue them. But Bell would never again let anyone use her to hurt the people she cared about, even if they were willing targets.

“Obviously, you know that I had a rough go of it in Autumn,” Bell began. Alexander nodded. “It wasn’t just the transfusions.”

Alexander sat up a little straighter in his chair.

“I have a mate,” Bell said. It was more manageable to say now. She had held it in all these years, but it was getting easier to admit the truth.

Alexander’s eyes widened.

“You–”

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